History of Man
The Birth of Mankind Although little has been recorded among the records of mankind from the beginning, it can be said that the history of mankind runs parallel to that of Nafarfromir, albeit convoluted as such is the flow of time on Terrim. Exact references to time frames are tricky being that the early man did not record time using the same method as early Non-humans, and much of Humankind's history has yet to be written. This all being said, the following is known. Mankind originated somewhere on the continent of Gabria, it has been suggested that they descended from ancient Fae bloodlines, crawled off of stone boats from the great sea or that the gods simply created them from nothing. The first recorded colonies of man who recorded history were those who affiliated themselves with the Fae. These Early men wore nothing, lived and learned with lesser Fae species and were loving and caring, having been fed and cared for by their Fae friends. For a long time Mankind cultivated its own culture and traditions, and set down simple rules and guidelines for their people. These rules have been lost in time, but existed along the lines of a "Treat others as you would treat yourself mentality." The ability for early man to learn to write and communicate would be attributed also to the Fae, and the Early men spoke old languages that were smooth and oftentimes contained magic. Abandonment and Revival Eventually the Fae wars broke out, and the Fae posed the question to the humans whether they would help or not. It is unknown what happened next, but ultimately the Human race lost it's ties with the Fae, and their words became harsher and lost it's magic. Without the help of the Fae things became more difficult for early man. Without the food from the moors the men would begin to starve, and needed to learn how to hunt and gather to survive. Without the shelter of the moors and the protection of the Fae, men needed to learn how to protect themselves and wear clothing, build shelter. Without the Fae to enforce the laws of Men, Humans would tear into each other out of anger and starvation. Those men who would eat other men were forever cursed, and it is recorded that these man-eaters would grow hair on their bodies and eat only meat. The men who killed to steal would become raiders and bandits, finding others who loved violence just as much. The Dark Ages In the dark ages of man, agriculture and humble ways of life were just starting to make a foothold. Man still fought, using clubs and bronze weapons as well as cloth and leather armors. The men stayed out of the moors, fearing the legends of the Fae. And the men stayed out of the Westwinds, where they feared the Man-eaters' bite. Local people would start to gain semblances of power, through surplus of food, warriors or materials. This would cause local farmers and peasants to gather near each other for protection from the dangers of the world. Forming the first colonies and housholds, known in those days as Castes. The Leaders of these groups of warriors or fertile farms claimed the land they protected and presided over, and being the best fit to lead and make decisions, they were named lords, and those under them would answer to them. The Caste Ages When no real unified government existed and bands of hundreds of brigands patrolled the land looking to take whatever men had to take, the real power came from warriors who were loyal to a lord or group of lords. These Lords controlled their home, and a small amount of land around their homes, and had many warriors under their service. These lords and their homes were called Castes. Those who paid homage to the lords and supplied them, were kept safe from brigands, and were considered members of that Caste. These are referred to as the Caste Ages, which would last for many years and go through many levels of advancement. Steady advancements in writing and language as well as the ability to have free time due to food surplus allowed for culture and identity to spring to life among the people of Gabria. Castes would form their own codes, and their own names, oftentimes the members of that caste taking their Caste name as their surname. In this time Men feared brigands, brigands feared Castes, and Castes feared other castes, causing an easy peace for years which allowed men to prosper and develop their individuality. Examples of these culture changes exist in the creation of Chivalry. The idea that a great warrior could be commended to become a Vassal to a Lord, the Vassal would protect the Lord, and follow the code of Chivalry. Tournaments and mock wars called "Tantrums" were held, advancing cultural identity and military technology (Basically LARP). Warlike in culture, Castes of Gabria quickly developed armor and weapon technologies. After many years of this, houses evolved into castles and burgs and the surrounding land into towns and cities. The largest of these cities being Tyr, in modern day Koosk. This city commanded the then-fertile land around it, and produced the most food, being able to support the largest Caste and the largest host of warriors uniting under the banner of Tyr. The Tyrites being the first example of a nationalist country, started to ask other castes to join under them for protection and riches. The Tyrian League was formed, making Tyr the center of commerce and protection, other castes would send their warriors, food, or other riches to fund the league in exchange for the use of those resources for protection if need be. Unfortunately with the lack of conflict on a large scale and good solid leadership from the Lords of Tyr, the Tyrian league became somewhat of an extortionist, demanding resources from member castes and attacking them if they refused. After a few years of conflict between Tyr and their member castes, which became a pseudo empire as Tyr started taking over lesser Castes and adopting them into the Tyrian league regardless of what they had or wanted, the Castes of western Gabria began to fear the inevitable attack. The Lord of Caste Far Held, Kastor who built his keep of pure granite stone on high mount Cronin, held a summit with all the other lords in the West. Together they decided to unite against Tyr. With their combined armies Kastor lead the attack against a Tyrite force. The Fareldi in the west where metals were more abundant but livestock less so, the soldiers were armored with heavy cloth, simple bronze skullcaps, and at times bronze reinforcements sewn into the cloth. Simple round shield were made from wood and lined with bronze as well. They were armed with short spears and short swords, as well as simple bows. The Tyrites in the east where metal was less abundant but fertile lands lead to a good supply of leathers, soldiers were armored only with light cloth to stave off heat, and leather reinforcements, they sometimes had small leather shields. As far as weaponry the Easterners used wooden spears and wooden truncheons, but they used far superior bows. For a number of reasons, the Far Held army routed the Tyrites, with minimal casualties on either side. The army of Far Held was smaller and consisted of less experienced warriors, but they were fighting for their homes, and they had better equipment and food between them than the Tyrites who had been on a decade long campaign. The Tyrites also were mainly men who were taken from Castes by force, forced to fight, making them less likely to risk their lives. At the start of the battle, Kastor gave an Oration, explaining the independence of Far Held and the other Castes west of the castle, saying exactly "…Far Held on." which the Tyrite commander heard as "The independence of Fareldon." And explained to the Tyrite lords upon returning that they had entered another country's territory, the country of Fareldon. The war reached a stalemate when neither side had enough men to attack the other, or lacked the will to enter another country's territory un-provoked. But, fearing the then-thought inevitable attack from the Tyrites, the Castes of the West unified under Kastor as their leader, after years of cooperation, Kastor declared himself King, and declared the country of Fareldon his kingdom. At the time, people wanted peace and trusted Kastor. At this point Mankind's cultures begin to differentiate, and it is split into many different Ethnic Groups. The Three races of men and their differing histories split about here in time. Fareldi Tyrian Alesian Moorish X'i